The Spectre Chronicles
by DeltaSandman
Summary: Lieutenant Commander John Shepard's mission was simple: Secure an invaluable piece of ancient alien technology and advance humanity's status within the Galactic Community. But when the Council's best agent goes rogue and attacks the idyllic colony of Eden Prime with an army of synthetics, the mission becomes more complicated...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Mass Effect fanfic lovers! This is DeltaSandman, and this is very first Mass Effect fanfiction! I did do other fanfictions of other video games, but I feel like doing other projects.**

 **So I'm gonna give you guys a little bit of a warning: there is going to be some grammar errors in he. not to mention I may confuse the story with past and present tenses. This is going to be past tense, but if I start to slip, let me know.**

 **My biggest concern is whether this is a good story.**

 **Spoiler: This Shepard is going to be a Earthborn War Hero, but don't worry, because I'm not going to make him all Mary-Su.**

 **Well here you go! Enjoy!**

 **Arcturus Station**

Captain David Edward Anderson walked in a smooth rhythm across across the grand Standford-Torus space station, feeling an inviting nostalgia within him. Walking up the sterile white steps of Arcturus's Academy, Anderson gazes in awe of the smooth dome shaped megastructure glistening with a glass surface. The Academy would remind him of those enormous sporting arenas when he was younger back on Earth. But he was not here to relive old memories, he was here for a chance, a chance to directly advance the Alliance's interests and influence throughout the galaxy. And he is not planning on letting this chance go to waste no matter what.

The Captain is a tall man, 6'3, with a large frame and broad shoulders. His features are a melting pot of several ethnicities with African, Central European, Native American as the most dominant. Though a recent analysis of his family's genealogy shows a complexity that has been mind boggling to him. He wore a blue dress uniform with his breast adorned with golden ribbons along with the insignia of the Systems Alliance. His black hair remains a high cut and short as it was when he was a mere junior officer.

 _Some things never change._

Approaching the Academy's checkpoint, Anderson wasted no time flashing his ID to the armed sentry, and was rewarded a sharp salute, which he curtly returned. With access granted to the captain, he proceeded inward.

Anderson heard a a high pitch whirring growing louder until he catches a deep blue skycar with the words _**Arcturus Academy**_ landing close to him. The doors click open and a young woman stepped out and marched with haste towards Anderson.

Like Anderson, her ethnicity is a mixture but with a lighter complexion. Her dark brown hair was cut to a short crop with a marine beret resting on her head. Her intense dark eyes and rough brows suggests she is a no nonsense woman that doesn't take crap from anyone. She wore the standard issued marine uniform that showed a light blue-grey camo texture.

She briskly stopped in front of Anderson greeting him with a sharp salute, which Anderson returned. "Captain Anderson. I'm Corporal Aldemir. I've been assigned to escort you to meet with Admiral Hackett and Ambassador Udina. Their waiting for you, sir."

Anderson made a quick note of her French accent. "Thank you, Corporal. Have they been waiting long?"

"No, sir. They arrived shortly before you did." She motions the Captain to follow her. "This way, sir."

David followed the young corporal into the skycar. In an instant, he felt the rush of rising high off the ground and sank back into his seat when the car thrusted itself forward. Anderson glanced down at the Academy seeing a lot has changed, but many things remained the same. During his time at the academy, there weren't as this many obstacle courses, rough terrains exercises, more buildings, and a majestic statue of the legendary Rear Admiral Jon Grissom.

Anderson thought back to when he first met Grissom. The day he met his lifelong hero, and how he heard the grim news of Shanxi being conquered by an alien species.

The First Contact War, despite being a quick and relatively bloodless conflict, has made a tremendous impact for the Alliance. Were it not for the turians, humanity would have been never been introduced to the galactic community.

For the past 26 years, the Alliance wasted no time making their mark on the galactic community. With an embassy gained on the Citadel in less than ten years, being a valuable trade partner to Council species, and it's fleet to rival that of the Turians, the Alliance has become both a respect and feared sovereign people.

Despite these accomplishments, they have yet to gain a seat on the Citadel Council. Anderson feels that will all change real soon once they select a prime candidate for the first human Operative of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Branch of the Citadel Council.

 _Such a mouthful for such a valuable position. Thank you to the one who shortened it to Spectre._

Anderson looked over the list of candidates. A small but promising selection of some of the Alliance's finest has to offer. But to Anderson, one particular candidate stood out from all the others.

"We're here, sir!" Corporal Aldemir's voice shook Anderson out of his thoughts.

Anderson can feel car smoothly touching down before feeling a subtle quick jerk in his gut upon landing. The doors opened and Anderson stepped out of the car. Corporal Aldemir gave Anderson a crisp salute, which he promptly returns before strolling towards the entrance of the Ampitheatre of the Academy while hearing the smooth whirring grew more faint as the skycar flew away.

The Ampitheatre, despite it's name, is not a complex for trainees and fresh recruits to lay back and enjoy the latest movie vids. Officer cadets are taught history in battles from ancient times to modern day, tactics both sublime and crude, interstellar politics, and go through grueling battle simulations.

 _Damn shame we didn't have this back in the day._

Anderson walked through the automatic doors sterile white crescent shaped room. Each row is filled with a long curved counters and seats below. There were no stairs, only a steady path in shape of a mild angle ramp on the way down to the main stage where Ambassador Udina and Admiral Hackett were waiting.

As he strolled down the ramp, the Ambassador and the Admiral spot the Captain. Stepping onto the stage, Anderson stopped in front of the two high ranking Alliance officials and raised a crisp salute to Hackett, which he returned.

"At ease Captain." Hackett ordered. His low and gruff voice had a powerful effect.

Anderson did as he was told. "Admiral. Ambassador." He greeted the men by their given titles.

Udina grunted. "Captain Anderson. I read the your background extensively. N7 Special Operative, distinguished during Shanxi's liberation, awarded numerous medals and commendations thereafter, Executive Officer of the SSV Hastings, Commanding Officer of the SSV Tokyo. Very impressive Captain. Shame that record does not show you as the first human Spectre."

Anderson said nothing and retained his stoic stature, but internally he can feel his nerves being jerked by the Ambassador. He quickly remembered the purpose of this meeting, and wished to proceed immediately.

"That's why we're here, Ambassador." Anderson said keenly.

"I've looked over the list of candidates." Udina said. "I assume you two viewed them yourselves?"

"We have." Hackett answered. He activates his Omni-tool, toying his fingers around the glowing orange outline gloving his arm.

A large holoscreen is activated on the circular ceiling with the top marked as **_CLASSIFIED_**.

Udina uses his Omni-tool to activated the classified file. "This has been a difficult choice, but I have narrowed our candidates down to the top three. Their supposed to be the best the Alliance has to offer."

Three holo portraits swirled around on the curved wall until they lined up vertically with names and brief descriptions were beside each portrait. The first one showed a man with thin patch of hair at the very middle of his head. Big intense eyes, clean shave, small wrinkles around the eyes mostly due to combat. The second one showed woman who looks younger than her actual age, mostly due to gene therapy. Her facial features are a mix of Caucasian and Asian. She had neat neck length hair, round face, and a look of grim determination on her face. The third one was another man with a nearly clean shaved head, a dark stubble, and a gaunt face with strong features.

The three officials looked over the portraits and their backgrounds carefully from first to the last candidate.

 **Saulius Franz: Born in Warsaw, Poland, Eastern European Commonwealth. Date of birth 2/25/2152. Participated in humanitarian peacekeeping operations in Central America before enlisting in 2170 CE. Is currently stationed out in the the Skyllian Traverse. Led a unit to investigate the Akuze colony gone dark, but the unit was eliminated by Thresher Maw attacks. Staff Lieutenant Franz is the only reported survivor. Overall physical and mental health is sound.**

 **Jane Mui: Born to Alliance officers Lao and Heather Mui on Arcturus Station. Date of Birth 1/31/2151. Mui spent most of her life on Alliance ships and stations, frequently transfering from one post to the other. She joined OCS at Arcturus Station in 2171 CE and enrolled in N7 training and graduated with top honors. Participated in the Torfan Campaign and systematically wiped out all enemy resistance while losing 3/4th of her unit. NOTE: All charges of war crimes and reckless endangerment have been dropped and is clear for the duty.**

 **John Shepard: Born in the joint megatropolis Seattle-Vancouver, no record of his family is found. Little is known of his pre-service history other than rumors of a life of crime. Enlisted in 2172 CE under the alias of John Shepard. NOTE: It is unknown if alias is authentic, but is shown as legitimate. Gained recognition in 2176 CE when he led the defense of the colony Elysium and routed pirate and slaver forces. NOTE: Awarded the Star of Terra, eight medals of merit, and several commendations. Joined the N7 Program and graduated in 2179 CE.**

"For me, the choice is easy." Anderson said. "Shepard is more than worthy than joining the Spectres."

"Let's not get carried away, Captain." Hackett raised his hand. "My recommendation is for Franz."

Udina inquisitively brought his fist to cover his mouth. "And why is that, Franz, Admiral?"

"Franz has the mental strength and will to survive the most savage situations. Something that Spectres are known for getting themselves into. Not to mention Spectres are known making morally questionable decisions."

The Admiral makes a good point. Spectres operate with little to no restraint. Meaning they have the legal authority to accomplish their objectives, even if it means civilians are killed in the crossfire. Hackett's gut felt if anyone is capable of performing heinous acts when given no other choice, Franz would see it through without affecting him psychologically.

"Every marine knows when to make hard choices for the greater good." Anderson countered. "Shepard is no exception. Besides, we know how rough it is for colonists out there, how savage Terminus raiders can be. Were it not for Shepard, Elysium would not be standing to this day."

"I disagree, Captain." Hackett argued. "The Terminus ships couldn't even match the _Agincourt_. One frigate overpowered the whole fleet, and the invasion was a failure from the start."

Anderson stood his ground. "Sir, we both know that raiders don't occupy colonies, they ransack and pillage them. That was their objective the whole time! Shepard made sure that didn't happen, and proved that their attempts were futile both in space and in the ground. This victory gave marines and colonists hope all throughout the Alliance!"

"You're correct, Captain." Hackett said. "Shepard is truly the best the Alliance has to offer. But are we willing to hand him over to the Council? Because if he were to become a Spectre, that's how it will be."

"We're well aware of that, Admiral Hackett." Udina finally spoke. "And this is a concern for you, why?"

"Even if we get a marine in the Spectres, The Alliance is an associate member of Citadel Space. No close alliances, or any vital political positions. And without a human on the council, the first human Spectre will answer to a non-human government. It's mostly symbolic, gentlemen. That's also why I recommend Franz."

"So... what you are trying to say, Admiral is that you recommend Franz is because you believe he's more..." Udina paused trying to find the proper word. "Expendable? Because, you're previous explanation said he would be a gifted Spectre. Which is it?"

"Both." Hackett answered. "I'm saying that if we're going submit our best to the Council, we should be patient until we have a more direct voice in interstellar politics."

"I understand your concern, Admiral, but you're argument is invalid." Udina dismissed. "A human Spectre would be a huge step in the Alliance both symbolically and politically."

"Besides, I don't see Shepard choosing the Council over the Alliance." Anderson added.

"My decision is final. I'll endorse Shepard as our Spectre Candidate." Udina declared.

Hackett tilted his head down. As ambassador to the Alliance, Udina's word carries a lot of weight and influence in interstellar politics. More than the Prime Minister of the Alliance. So why would he hope his word would mean anything?

Anderson grinned. His gut told him that humanity will be able to play a bigger role in the galactic community sooner than everyone thinks. With Shepard being the first human Spectre, it wouldn't be long until the Alliance would gain a seat on the council. He understood Hackett's concern though. Spectres answer to the council and the council alone. But even though he never knew the famous John Shepard, his gut told him that he would automatically cast the Alliance aside.

"There is one more matter we need to discuss. An opportunity should the Council accept our request." Udina told them. "I assume you gentlemen are aware of the SSV Normandy?"

"A newly developed deep scout frigate, yes." Anderson answered. "She was co-developed by engineers of the Alliance and the Hierarchy, is that right?"

Udina nodded. "Correct. She was under the command of Captain Eli Zander. I won't go into the details, but an argument with Turian Chief Engineer Octavio Tantum relieved the Captain of his command. That is where you come in Anderson."

Anderson is taken aback. "Beg your pardon, Ambassador?"

"You'll be given authority of a test run of the Normandy before you'll be given official command." Udina told him. "But before that, I'll put in a word for the Alliance Brass for your XO of the Normandy."

Anderson shot a brow up. "Who are you recommending?"

 ***MESC***

Lieutenant Commander John Shepard strolled purposely into the Normandy's CIC room where a marine passed him, but not before greeting him, "Commander."

Shepard wore a blue dress uniform with his chest adorned of medals, campaign ribbons and the distinguishable Star of Terra. He was a tall young man with appearance that was rugged but not without charm and intelligence. His height is at 6'1, with broad shoulders, sky blue eyes, a faint dark stubble, and shaved head.

Being a highly decorated officer in the Alliance Navy, Shepard was given the position as Executive Officer of the SSV Normandy under the command of the legendary Captain Anderson.

 _"The Arcturus Prime Relay is in Range. Initiating transmission sequence."_

Hearing the Normandy's helmsman made Shepard review his orders in his mind. The Normandy was to be en route to the agrarian colony of Eden Prime where they will be testing the ship's stealth systems. But he couldn't help but feel there is more to this mission than meets the eye.

Shepard glanced at the CIC noticing the stark contrast in it's design. Normally Alliance CIC's are placed in the middle of the ship to allow commanding officers to be in more direct contacts with their subordinates. But the CIC was placed within the back of the ship. During construction, turian engineers constructed this unusual design to see how efficient commanding officers would would command the crew this way. Apart from the unorthodox setup, everything looked in order with the Galaxy Map, a ring of computers, and a crew working around the clock.

Some of the crew members looked up with in shock and amazement to see Commander Shepard walking past them. Some looked intimidated by his presence due the wincing and the silent gasping. For Shepard, it was an annoying drawback for having this much recognition.

Shepard made his way pass the CIC along a single path with eight technicians vertically lined up into two groups, four in each group from the left and the right. Upon reaching the cockpit, Shepard can see the back of a turian of high status. This turian wore a full set of dark grey armor with deep red vertical stripes. As Shepard stopped right next to him, he can see fully coated markings of maroon and white on his raptor shaped face, a common sighting with turians in general. His bright green pupils glance over at Shepard and greets him with a curt but respectful nod, which Shepard returned.

The turian was Nylus Kryik a spectre for the Citadel Council.

Shepard was curious why a Council Spectre would take part in voyage to Eden Prime. The Normandy was co-developed by human and turian engineers, so it's possible that this is the start of the Normandy having a joint human-turian crew. However, it was unlikely that bridge was going to be built soon.

Ever since Nihlus came aboard, there has been a lot gossip going around that this was no ordinary shakedown-run. And Shepard's gut says the rumors are right.

"Relay is hot, acquiring approach vector." The Normandy's helmsman announced to the whole crew. "All stations secure for transit."

Shepard glanced down at ship's helmsman who was gently yet rapidly tapping down the orange holoboard displaying the ship's controls. The Commander couldn't be sure, but he looked rather relaxed piloting the most advance ship in the Alliance Navy. What he was sure about is that Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau is the assigned helmsman to pilot the Normandy.

"Board is green. Approach run as begun."

Shepard soon felt the ship build up acceleration. He looked over at the side view ports seeing bursts of energy appearing outside the ship signaling that the they were locking on the the Mass Relay.

Lieutenant Moreau's voice sounded off again. "Hitting the relay in... 3...2...1..."

A sharp jolt is felt throughout the ship meaning that the ship is now in transit from the Mass Relay's energy. However, being a spacer, Shepard has grown accustomed to Mass Relay travel.

"Okay... Lemme see here." Moreau muttered before announcing loudly. "Thrusters... check. Navigation is operational. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online." He clicked his tongue. "Drift... just under 1500k." He sunk back into his chair being more loose and relaxed.

"1500 is good." Nylus stoically praised Moreau. "Captain Anderson will be pleased, Lieutenant."

The Spectre gave Shepard another respectful nod before departing the cockpit. The Commander returned his attention to his front with his hands behind his back.

Mureau frowned. "I hate that guy."

One of the technicians seated next to the helmsman glanced at Moreau snickering. "Sooo... you hate Nihlus, because he gave you a compliment?"

"It's the way he complimented me, Alenko!" Moreau argued. "Zipping your jumpsuit on that way out of the restroom? That's good! But I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a mega pinhead. I think that's incredible! Besides, Spectres are trouble. It doesn't excite me to have one on board. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid." Staff Lieutenant Alenko teased. "The Council helped fund this project, remember? They have a right to send someone to see if their investment pays off."

Moreau shook his head. "That's what I like to call the 'official story', Alenko. Only an idiot believes the official story."

Shepard agreed with Moreau. The Council doesn't send Spectres on shakedown runs. Even if it's constructed by human and turian engineers. That sounds more suited for a high ranking military official of the Turian Hierarchy.

"You raise a good point, Lieutenant Moreau. But I advise you to keep your opinions to yourself." Shepard spoke.

Moreau gasped. "Oh sh- sorry, sir! I didn't realize you were there!"

Alenko suddenly rose from his seat and offered the Commander a sharp salute.

"Commander Shepard! It's good to see you again, sir!"

Shepard returned the salute and stretched a small smile. "Likewise, Lieutenant. Congratulations on your promotion."

"Thank you, sir."

A digital chime went off.

 _"Joker!"_ Captain Anderson's voice came over the comms. _"Give me an update!"_

"We cleared the Mass Relay, Captain." Joker replied. "Stealth Systems are engaged... Everything looks solid. ETA to Eden Prime seventeen minutes."

 _"Good."_ Anderson answered. _"Link us into first comm buoy you come across. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance Brass before we reach Eden Prime."_

"Aye-aye, Captain. Might wanna prepare yourself for Nihlus, sir. I think Nihlus is on his way."

" _He's already here,_ _Lieutenant_." Anderson's professional voice strained with annoyance.

Moreau bowed his head down thinking he's made a fool of himself. Kaidan shook his head and rolled his eyes.

 _"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."_

The line was cut.

"You get that, Commander?" Joker asked Shepard.

"I heard, Joker." Shepard responded addressed the Flight Lieutenant by his humorous nickname. "Carry on, gentlemen."

Joker let out a feigned gasp and turned to see the Commander departing from the cockpit and muttered in amazement, "Commander John Shepard just said my name..."

Kaidan chuckled. "That's _Lieutenant_ Commander John Shepard for you."

Joker scoffed. "Same thing. And is it just me, or does the Captain always sound a little pissed off?"

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker." Kaidan joked.

 ***MESC***

Shepard walked back down the path past the technicians making his way back to the CIC where his ears caught a mild argument coming from Navigation Officer Charles Pressly. From what the Commander's hearing, Pressly is openly expressing his concern of having a Spectre on board and it's clear from the other crew members were feeling the same thing.

The Commander knew this was going to be problem. It's understandable to be concerned of being dragged into more than what the crew as been assigned to do. It's highly likely that with Nihlus being on board, it'll come to that. But with this sort of gossip coming from the head Navigator Officer could be counterproductive and make the crew more unsettled with this behavior openly coming from an officer.

"XO on deck!" A crew member barked.

Everyone in the CIC snapped to attention saluting the Commander, including Pressly who turned in a sharp 180 degree direction and saluted Shepard.

Charles Pressly was older looking man, possibly the oldest man on the ship. A man above average height, Pressly's white thinning hair was neat and proper, and his features were a light tan. Like Shepard, Pressly served with distinction during the Skyllian Blitz aboard the SSV _Agincourt-_ a frigate that was named after a game changing battle during the Hundred Year War- however, his role didn't carry the same amount of heroism Shepard performed.

"At ease." Shepard evenly ordered. The CIC staff and everyone resumed their duties, except for Pressly.

"Looks like a smooth run so far, Commander." The Navigator Officer said. "You heading down to see Captain Anderson?"

Shepard nodded. "I am. But I heard you having your concerns about our guest."

Pressly stiffened his stance. "Yes, sir." He stammered. "Permission to speak freely, Commander?"

"Granted."

Pressly loosened his composure. "It's about our assignment. If all we're supposed to do is test out the stealth system, why is Captain Anderson in charge? And then there's Nihlus!" He took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. Pressly was a good and competent officer, but was know for being easy irritated. "Spectres are elite operatives. the Council's Covert Agents. Why would they send a Spectre -a Turian Spectre- on a shakedown run?" He shook his head. "It's not adding up, sir."

The more he heard the rumors, the more they sounded more like fact than nerves.

"Do you have a problem with a Captain?" Shepard's question was more of curiosity rather than a passive warning to fall in line.

Nonetheless, Pressly winced nervously. "No, sir!" He stammered, but relaxed when he saw no hostility in the Commander's expression. "But I-I can't figure out what he's doing here! Apart from you, Captain Anderson is one of the most decorated forces officers in the Alliance. If all his medals were melted down, he could make a life size statue of himself. The Brass usually doesn't send officers of that recognition on a do nothing mission. Not to mention he's treating this shakedown run too seriously. My gut tells me something big is going on."

 _Your gut may be right._ Shepard thought.

"What about Nihlus?" Shepard asked. "Seems you don't trust him."

Pressly casually shrugged. "Not a fan of turians in general. Runs in the family I guess. My grandfather was on Shanxi when the Turian fleet hit. He lost a lot of friends during the occupation."

Shepard scowled at his comment. It's no surprise that there are a lot in the Alliance who have some disdain for the Turians, mostly coming from first generation Alliance. He even witnessed this sort of discriminatory behavior from his Drill Instructor back on Macapa, and first generation NCO's and officers. However, after hearing this nonsense for the possibly the thousandth time, it feels this sort of thinking is just pure idiocy.

"You can't blame one turian for something that happened twenty-six years ago, Pressly." Shepard sternly said. "I understand your concerns of having a Spectre on board, but officially species discrimination is prohibited. So you'll given two standing orders while you're on board this vessel: Keep the rumors and your prejudices to yourself. Am I clear?"

Pressly tensed up, feeling anxious and ashamed that he displeased a living legend. "Yes sir. This won't be a problem."

Shepard turned to the rest of the staff. "That goes for all of you. Am I understood!"

"Yes sir!" The staff chorused.

Shepard nodded. "Carry on, Pressly."

"Yes, sir!" Pressly saluted and returned to his duties.

Shepard returned the saluted and carried on towards comm room, which was only meters away from the CIC. The Commander spotted another conversation going on between Corporal Richard Jenkins and Chief Medical Officer Karen Chakwas. It was the same gossip about this mission mostly coming from Jenkins while Chakwas was rather dismissive of his claims. It's possible that Chakwas was doing her part to quell the rumors.

Jenkins was a young but promising marine. He was fairly tall, barely trailing the commander in height. He had an impressive physique underneath his marine BDU, but more in a thin runners build. Like the majority of younger marines, Jenkins was born and raised out in the colonies, Eden Prime to be more specific. Shepard smirked seeing the kid looking rather enthused than skeptical about this assignment.

Shepard stopped in front of the Corporal and the Doctor, and was rewarded a salute from Jenkins, which he returns.

Jenkins relaxed his stance, but his enthusiasm didn't wane. "Commander, we won't be staying too long on Eden Prime are we? I'm itching for some real action!"

"And your 'real action' usually ends with me patching you up in the infirmary!" Chakwas scolded.

"You need to calm down, Corporal." Shepard told him. "A marine keeps a cool head even under fire."

"Sorry, Commander." Normally apologies are frowned upon, but right now, Shepard couldn't be mad at the kid. "This waiting is killing me! I mean with a Spectre on board, it's just got me all pumped up right now."

Shepard revealed a smile towards Jenkins. "Just treat this like any other assignment and everything will work out."

"That's easy for you to say! You made your mark in the Blitz! Everyone know what you can do! This could be my big break I need to show the Brass what I can do!"

Shepard scowled. "You're young Corporal. You may have a good start, but you have a long career ahead of you. Don't mess anything up this early on."

"Don't worry, sir! I'm not going to screw this up!" Jenkins's happy to go did not diminish under Shepard's sharp change in tone.

Chakwas chuckled. "At least you're not lacking enthusiasm, Jenkins." She turned to the Commander. "Must be from all those spy vids kids watch these days."

Shepard grinned professionally holding in a chuckle. "As you were, Corporal. Doctor."

"Aye-aye sir!" Jenkins saluted.

"Understood, Commander." Chakwas nodded.

Shepard moved on passed the two sentries guarding the door into the comm room. The marines snapped to attention as the commander entered the room, but not before her offered them both a returning salute.

The Comm Room is a fairly spacious circular room with little to know furniture. There was almost nothing in this room that looked to be of any use, but Shepard knew that looks can be deceiving. What instantly grabbed Shepard's attention is Nihlus with his back turned.

As Shepard stopped right in the middle of the room, Nihlus cocked his head and turned around with his eyes focused on the Commander.

"Lieutenant Commander John Shepard." Nihlus greeted Shepard by his full name and rank with great interest. "I was hoping you would be here first. It will give us a chance to talk."

Shepard's brows furrowed with caution. "About what?"

Nihlus casually turned and took a few slow steps forward. "I'm interested in this colony we're en route to, Eden Prime. I hear it's breathtaking."

"People say it's a paradise." Shepard chose his words carefully.

"Yes a paradise." Nihlus faced Shepard again crossing his arms. "Serene, tranquil, safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for the Alliance has it?" He casually paced himself back and fourth while he continued talking. "Proof that humanity cannot only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?"

Everything Nihlus said was true. Eden Prime is an exemplary colony of self-sustainability, standard of living, and security. Normally Alliance Colonies are given small token garrison forces that are mainly used to scout and report enemy threats rather than engaging them. But Eden Prime's sizable and well-armed defenses special exception. The agrarian colony's heavy fertility, Alliance and corporate interest, and extremely thorough eco development is enough to post a sizable marine garrison with ground defenses and small token of cruisers and frigates to defend the planet from any space faring threat.

Shepard grew suspicious of these questions. "Is there something I should know?"

Nihlus ceased his pacing stops right in front of Shepard. "Your people achieved so much in a short amount of time, Shepard. But humans are still newcomers, and the galaxy can be a very dangerous place. I want to ask you if you think the Alliance is ready for this?"

Shepard was unsure of what he meant. He's seen how dangerous firsthand the galaxy can be, so why was Nihlus telling him this? Could it be to refresh his memory in case he got in over his head? Or is there truly something Nihlus knows that Shepard, that humanity doesn't know about? Whatever it was, he feels the Alliance will have to be ready for whatever comes next.

Before Shepard could demand a more direct answer from Nihlus, the doors to the Comm Room faintly hissed open. Shepard glanced behind him before fully turning to salute Captain Anderson who was coming to meet the Spectre and his XO.

He stopped with Nihlus in front of him and Shepard from his left. "I think it's about time we inform the Commander of what's really going on."

Nihlus nodded in agreement and turned to Shepard. "As you may have noticed from the crew, this mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."

 _I figured there was something you were not telling us._ Shepard thought but said aloud. "Am I going to be filled in on what's going on, Captain?"

"We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational." Anderson revealed.

Shepard's eyes shot up a little. "Why weren't we debriefed about this pickup, Captain?"

"This came from the top, Shepard." Anderson replied. "Information is on a strict need to know basis. Yesterday at 1524 hours TCU time, A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Protehan."

Anderson expected Shepard to be mildly amazed at this news, but there was know change in his expression.

"What else can you tell me that's on a need to know basis, sir?" Shepard asked bluntly.

Anderson slightly raised his hands expressing the importance of this beacon. "This is huge, Commander. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two-hundred years. But Eden Prime's facilities don't have the proper resources to deal with something like this. So we've been ordered to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously this goes on mere human interests, Commander." Nihlus added. "This discovery could affect every species in Council Space."

"Are we expecting trouble?" Shepard asked. He knew the Council wouldn't send a Spectre for a simple delivery run. Even if the delivery was classified as covert.

Nihlus nodded walking towards Shepard. "I'm always expecting trouble."

"The Beacon's identity has been compromised." Anderson explained. "Shortly after it's discovery, one of the researchers recorded footage of the beacon and it's origin. It's been uploaded onto the extranet, but Union STG operatives encrypted the footage from being shown in Council Space. However, Eden Prime is all in an uproar about this."

That caught Shepard's attention. "Has there been resistance?"

Anderson shook his head. "Fortunately no. Right now, it's strictly civil disobedience with scientists and colonists affiliated with the Eden Prime Independence committee. It's highly unlikely that there will be an armed insurgency, but we can't take any chances. Especially with Eden Prime being close to Terminus Space."

Shepard frowned. Even Eden Prime was no exception when it comes to secessionist movements. He thought any colonial movement saying that their colony should break away from the Alliance is filled with people that are selfish and short sighted. There has been talk of colonist planning taking up arms against the Alliance, but aside from a few small standoffs, it had never came to that. However with this Beacon, he could see this situation degrading into a full on riot.

And that's just a best case scenario. Eden Prime's cluster happens to be not far from Hegemony space, which is hostile towards the Alliance. Officially, there is no war between the Alliance and the Hegemony, but that hasn't stop the batarians from heavily funding pirate raids on human colonies. Their most successful plunder was on the homestead colony of Mindoir and that was just a minor raid against only a few marines. The dreadful Skyllian Blitz was their biggest disaster, but even then they still continue to pillage and raze human colonies wherever and whenever they can. And with this Prothean Beacon unearthed, Shepard can't help but feel Eden Prime may suffer another Blitz. And that's what worried him the most.

"The Beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Commander." Nihlus added.

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you." Anderson revealed another hidden secret.

Shepard cocked an eyebrow looking at Nihlus and then at the Anderson. "What's going on here, Captain?"

"The Alliance has been pushing this for a long time." Anderson explained. "Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We plan to have more say in the Citadel Council, and the Spectre's represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

Shepard darted his eyes down and mildly crunched his nose. It's no question that they were referring to him becoming the first human Spectre. It's true the Alliance may benefit from this, but the Commander was not thrilled about this choice. He couldn't describe why he didn't approve of becoming a Spectre candidate, it was merely a strong feeling.

"You successfully repelled a massive invasion force with only a handful of defenders. It takes unparalleled and courage and skill to overpower the Blitz. Which is why your Alliance recommended you as a candidate, and why I forwarded your name to the Council."

"I assume this decision is final with the Brass?" Shepard asked. Though he already knew the answer.

"The Alliance needs this Shepard." Was Anderson's answer. "We're counting on you."

Nihlus stared intently at the Commander. "I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. I believe Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

Joker's voice came over the intercom. _"Captain! I gotta transmission from Eden Prime through emergency channels! Audio and live footage!"_

Anderson narrowed his eyes. "Bring it up on screen!" He ordered, not wasting a second.

Captain Anderson, Commander Shepard, and Council Spectre Nihlus turned to face the front of the Comm room where the live feed popped up showing what appeared to be marines in an intense engagement. The smooth cracking of standard issued Lancer Assault Rifle bursts from steady hands of a woman outfitted in heavy Phoenix combat armor.

It was one of the very first models for Alliance marines, most specifically during the First Contact War. The armor was designed for simple and durable protection, but it was unpopular with marines due to them being uncomfortable and heavy. However, the marine wearing the older bulkier model moved fluidly and effortlessly towards two marines couching and laying down short bursts of fire. She began barking out orders waving crisp hand signals and a marine rushed past her. The camera jerked away from the woman and showed pockets of marines scattered in a loose circle formation shooting out into the uneven terrain.

They were surrounded! Despite this, it appear the marines didn't made themselves easy targets. Their formation was fluid and mobile making them seem they were on the offensive. However, as tenacious as their resistance was, it appeared they would be overpowered by their attackers.

The camera jerked towards a marine who appeared to be holding it. He wore no helmet showing his bloodied face.

 _"Arcturus Station, this is the 2nd Frontier Division! Eden Prime is under attack by unidentified hostiles! There not batarians! Repeat: Invaders are not batarian pirates or slavers! Payload Cacheback is compromised! We need a damn response group! NOW!"_

The marine suddenly jolted his body back before plunging to his back motionless, and the footage now shot up to the sky to see something unfathomable and terrifying. It looked like a giant purple prawn slowly but gradually descending from the smoking clouds. The purple titan curled it's tentacles in a slow chilling motion before a low rumbling roar overpowers all the gunfire and explosion. In an instant, red lightning flashes from the tentacles and the camera shakes away from the sky and towards the ground. The marines began running in all directions while the ground erupted around them. They were routed and overwhelmed. Before their gruesome fate could be shown, the feed is cut and everything was loud static.

Shepard's eyes widened a little and felt a cruel chill throughout his chest. Whatever it was, it resembled a spacefaring vessel, but he didn't recognize what kind of ship it is. Whatever it was, it wasn't Alliance, so it must be hostile.

 _"Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all."_ Joker's voice was a welcoming change to the dreading footage. _"Just... it's just nothing."_

Anderson's stoic expression did not falter. "Reverse and hold 38.5" He ordered.

The holoscreen zipped through the images until it once again showed the nightmarish titan with it's tentacles fully extended.

Shepard's eyes narrowed and took in a deep breath through his nose before seeping out air through his barely open mouth.

Nihlus's tangibles twitched at the image, but remained deathly silent.

Silence. That's the only sound that filled the comm room until Anderson called out, "Status report!"

 _"Eight minutes out captain. No contact from the Defense Flotilla."_

 _Have they been wiped out? A whole flotilla?_ Shepard pondered in his mind. The only logical suspects are Terminus raiders, but the Commander doubted that they would carry out such a successful attack. It's more likely that this is something else entirely.

"Remain on current course, Joker. Fast and quiet." The Captain said.

 _"Aye aye, Captain."_

Anderson turned to Shepard. "This has gotten much more complicated." He said grimly.

"I'll get the ground team ready, Captain." Shepard said.

"Make it so, Commander."

Shepard saluted Anderson and marched sharply out of the comm room.

Anderson turned to face Nihlus. "We're not going to have a lot of time to secure the Beacon."

"That's what I'm here for, Captain." Nihlus assured him. "I'll be scouting ahead of Shepard's team giving them them updates on what I come across."

Anderson scowled at the Turian. "Let me clear on one matter: You might be a Council Spectre, but if you get my men in a situation where they'll be killed, there is going to be hell to pay."

Nihlus's expression was heard to read, but Anderson had a feeling he's not intimidated by the Captain's threat. He read Anderson's file, although some there are some details that can't be touched, even with his Spectre status. What he does know is that the Captain was a then 2nd Lieutenant and only twenty-years-old when he fought the Hierarchy in the impacting Relay 314 Incident -what Humanity called the First Contact War. Nihlus had a feeling that underneath Anderson's professional courtesy is a grudge against turians. If that's true, Nihlus can't blame the Captain, but he wished such petty disdain could be cast aside fully.

"Not all turians resent humanity, Captain. Some of us see potential of what humanity has to offer to the galactic community. And what Shepard has to offer to the Spectres." Nihlus turned to leave but not before glancing back at Anderson. "I won't endanger your men, Captain. I'm only here to see Shepard secure the Beacon."

The doors hissed closed signaling that the turian spectre took his leave.

Alone, all Captain Anderson could feel is a nasty sense of nostalgia. The situation is different, but the consequences feel the same. Should Shepard slip up, just once, this will be more than enough to keep Shepard out of the Spectres.

Casting fears of failing the mission aside, Anderson bowed his head and closed his eyes hoping that the colony -and it's inhabitants- will endure and survive this nightmare.

* * *

 **Sooo... First Chapter. What do you guys think? :)**

 **References from Mass Effect Revelations, and Mercenaries.**

 **CODEX**

 **TCU: Terran Coordinate Universal/Standard time used by Humanity**


	2. Chapter 2: Paradise gone wrong

**Paradise Gone Wrong**

 ***MESC***

To call it a mere dig site would be a grave insult. The prothean beacon discovered by the excavation team was hidden within the remains of what look like a sizable prothean structure that had been uncovered from days of unearthing Eden Prime's fertile soil.

The entrance revealed the blinding void of the interior, but orbs of bright lights floating loosely together with bubbling whirring and clicking. It sounded off in a pattern, like a form of speech was conducted. The lights scanned their surroundings seeing the walls, ceilings, and floor were sterile white with small signs of nature making their marks within the structure. The orbs' path slowly but steadily began to brighten in a dim red illumination that showed grueling sights.

Shadowy figures in the shape of humans looked as if their chests were impaled by what looked like sharp mobile antennas. But their figures appeared very wiry, like much of the fat and muscle on their body decomposed. The lights did not shine on the figures leaving them in their darkness and moved towards the weak red brightness.

The sounds of low snarling and loud whimpering were heard, followed by a squeaky scream until it stopped abruptly.

The lights finally made their way into what looked like a small circular room where two more shadowy figures are seen. One looked tall and lanky in nature, and the other one looked human on the ground motionless.

The floating orbs froze in front of the lugging giant as another growl is heard.

"The Beacon's not here." A low smooth voice growled softly before cocking it's head over to the impaled victims. "As soon as they are ready, release them upon the colony."

No response was given, but more clicking is heard.

"We need to move! Follow me!"

The figure marched past the orbs and in return they followed.

 ***MESC***

The Normandy's cargo hold is where the all terrain M35 Mako resides. Thanks to the Infantry Fighting Vehicle's small size and light weight, they will soon replace the M29 Grizzly IFV's for rapid deployments. Aside from it's size and weight, the mako packs a deadly mass accelerator cannon and a coaxial-mounted machine gun, advance kinetic barriers for protection, micro-thrusters and a small element zero core forlow gravity planetoid deployments. The perfect vehicle for their mission.

It's a pity that it will not be brought along for this mission. However, being discreet means not standing out.

It didn't take long for Shepard to get into his heavy armor with the N7 designation pasted onto the left breast. Like, the Commander, this armor has gained a few scars, but it's still as reliable as it was when it was a shining black shine to it.

Shepard looked over at his team that are gearing up beside the Mako. Like Shepard, Alenko and Jenkins were heavily equipped with armor and armed to the teeth with Lancer assault rifles and Kessler pistols.

Shepard glared down at the breather helmet with a polarized visor. He's been on several risky missions before, went up against the nastiest bunch of batarians, krogan, vorcha, even a few turians and humans, but he could feel that this wasn't anything like this at all. It was something far worse. His face now expressed a grime determined look before placing the helmet upon his head. A smooth clicking hiss signaled a proper insertion. His natural vision shifted into a more clear aqua filter with a state of the art HUD, standard TCU time, brightness adjustment, shield percentage, can allow Shepard to check on the vitals on his team, and gives him the luxury to breath in unlimited clean air even in the most smoggy environments.

The armor itself is a marvel itself. Natural protection is design to absorb enemy fire and explosions without the host suffering minor and major injuries. However it was not without one crucial flaw: fragile kinetic barriers. All it takes is one or two shots to bring the barriers down, and they take their time recharging. So every time Shepard had gotten hit, he felt every burst and every burn, but without harming is body in a critical manner.

Shepard collected a variety of weapons from the armory and thoroughly inspected each one.

Alenko and Jenkins were already prepared and ready for the mission, but with a few minutes until the Normandy entered Eden Prime's atmosphere there was time for a little chat.

"So what can you tell me about Eden Prime, Jenkins?" Alenko asked the young Corporal.

"Very peaceful, sir." Jenkins answered with pride in his voice. "You probably know this, but development was very careful, so we don't have to worry about about pollution, crowded spaces, you know third world problems Earth is still dealing with."

The Lieutenant's eyes widened. "Oh? You're implying Earth has third world problems?"

"Violent storms, strong wealth gap that's widening, and crazy amounts of pollution in some sections of Earth. None of that on Eden Prime."

Alenko smirked. "You forgot the good stuff. Major cities are getting more and more green everyday, beautiful arcology structures, and they look gorgeous to look at, too. Unlike those ugly towers Eden Prime has."

"Hey! It's not about style, it's about how efficient and comfortable they are!" Jenkins argued defensively.

Alenko chuckled. "At ease, Corporal. I think you made your point."

Jenkins shrugged and leaned back against the Mako. "I'll admit, it's gorgeous but even paradise gets boring after awhile. So, here I am, an Alliance Marine, the best of the best."

"So I see." Alenko suddenly let out a sharp breathy cry and brought a hand to his head. "Damn..."

Jenkins pivoted a step closer to the Lieutenant. "You okay, sir?"

Alenko groaned and slowly turned his side to side. "Yeah. Just some throbbing. Nothing serious, It could be worse."

"You sure about that, Lieutenant?" The compressed voice of the Commander caught the marine's attention.

Jenkins jolted back a few steps, feeling a little nervous with the Commander wearing a breather helmet.

Shepard quickly moved over to Alenko and gave him a gentle jab on the arm. "Okay... one to ten, how bad?"

"Uhh..." Alenko waved his hand sideways as if he was measuring the pain. "I'd give it a seven. Don't worry, Commander I've had worse migraines while I was on duty."

Alenko could tell that Shepard was silently scanning him underneath his helmet. Alenko took part of ground missions with Shepard before, and every mission he always covered his whole face with that breather helmet. Alenko had a little run on joke on Shepard looking more like a badass bounty hunter than an N7 operative, and made a habit of calling him Hunter. Still, it gave the Lieutenant chills every time.

Shepard finally awarded Alenko a curt nod and another jab. "Keep up or I'll ship you back here."

Alenko grunted. "Got it, Hunter."

A few seconds have passed, and Alenko felt he crossed the line. Finally, Shepard just shook his head and backed away from him. Alenko couldn't if his Commander was smiling or not in the mood to crack the whip.

"Alright, gentlemen." The Commander started evenly. "About four minutes ago, Eden Prime came under attack by unknown hostiles." There was a brief pause. "The marines in the engagement were routed. Mission parameters have also changed. We came here to secure and extract a prothean beacon."

"What do you mean unknown hostiles, sir?" Lieutenant Alenko queried.

"The weaponry and vessels are sophisticated in nature." The Commander explained. "Could be raiders, but we're not making assumptions here."

"What about survivors, Commander?" Jenkins questioned with a little emotion in his voice.

"Aiding survivors is a secondary objective. The beacon is our top priority."

Jenkins's eyes widened up. "A secondary objective?!" He got right in the Commander's titanium plated face. "They may not be Prothean artifacts, but those are our colonists, godammit! We're trained to deal with this sort of crap, and all you can say is their a secondary objective?!"

"Corporal, you're way out of line!" The Lieutenant barked.

Jenkins ignored him. "I'm not stupid, Commander. I know there's a chain of command, but if you think that I'm going to let this colony-my home-be destroyed without doing a thing about it, you're gravely mistaken!"

Alenko felt his bones chill for a second. All he could think of is how Shepard is going to tear Jenkins a new one.

"You make a good point, Corporal." Shepard spoke softly. "That's the expectation of every Alliance Marine: Place Earth and her colonies above his or her own life. And given that this is Eden Prime, you would go above and beyond to carry out your duty to keep her safe, would you? Even if it means it was against orders?"

Jenkins's hard glare greatly softened and became less tense.

Shepard continued. "And given the circumstances, this enemy, whoever they are, they're bound to be well equipped, well supplied, and well organized. And we're bound to run into a lot of them on our way to the beacon. That's why every supply depot, every high-value target we come across will be terminated. Which action will help save the colony, Corporal? Jabbing the enemy when they least expect it, or throwing your life away fighting them head on?"

Alenko couldn't help but smile. He never in a million years would have thought of appealing to the young Corporal's honor would have been an option when it comes to keeping the men in line. Usually commanders would set insubordinate marines straight through kicking their asses and verbal threats, and it would work, but there would be occasional backfires where orders would be directly disobeyed.

For the Lieutenant, this is a welcoming change.

The Commander's unorthodox method seemed to have worked. Jenkins took a step back and nodded his head along with a quiet but firm, "Aye, aye, sir."

With the situation defused, Jenkins moved back to the Mako and secured his helmet. Alenko secured his seconds later.

Their helmets vary from the Commander's. The visors covered the entirety of their faces providing adequate protection from enemy fire and explosions. Like Shepard's armor, their armor resembled the same onyx color signaling their special operations status. However, unlike Shepard, Alenko and Jenkins were distinguishable N7 operatives. Instead, the Lieutenant was designated as an N4, and the Corporal two numbers below.

Of all the missions this squad had been on, this was bound to be their toughest mission yet. Especially when their up against an unknown and powerful enemy.

 _"Preparing for atmospheric entry."_ Joker's voice filled the cargo hold.

The three marines looked over to the elevator, which was opening up, to see Captain Anderson and Nihlus Kryik walking side by side.

"Captain on deck!" Shepard barked snapping to attention.

Alenko and Jenkins followed suit.

"At ease." The Captain ordered. He stopped in front of Shepard and his squad before bringing his arms behind his back. "I'm sure the Commander has debriefed you on the attacks on Eden Prime?"

"Yes, sir!" Alenko answered.

"Good! Listen up!" Anderson activated the omni-tool on his arm, and gently tapped down on the virtual controls before bringing up a holographic map of a landscape with rivers, uneven grasslands, and three curved towers that distanced each other in a triangle formation.

"That's Constant." Jenkins silently breathed. "That's my home."

"This is the capital of Eden Prime, Constant." Anderson started stoically. "It looks humble, but those three towers are acrologies. Each one houses thousands of colonists with is sustains the population all on their own."

"Called it." Jenkins muttered again. "Each tower is like it's own settlement."

"Stow it back there, Corporal!" Anderson snapped calmly before continuing. "The point is Eden Prime is without any roads, or paths. Only a series a bridges to connect landmasses across rivers. In other words: You're dropping paradise gone to hell, gentlemen."

The Captain zoomed in on the map towards an uneven terrain. "We'll be dropping you off the outskirts of the colony. From there, it should be a quick hike to the dig site. Once the beacon is secured, The Normandy will assist in extracting it. After that, we'll be on a straight course back to the Citadel."

"Sir, what if the beacon is not there?" Shepard added perspective to the mission. "What if the enemy has confiscated it?"

"The Normandy will provide reconnaissance. But you'll have to pick up the trail quick, Commander." Anderson answered.

Shepard did not say another word. Everything is clear now.

Nihlus stepped forward moving past Anderson. "I'll be on the ground as well. But you three are going to be on your own."

"You're not coming with us, Nihlus?" Jenkins asked a little shocked, and a little disappointed.

"I move faster on my own." The spectre replied checking his rifle. "I'll going in deep into enemy territory using hit and runs and sabotage."

"One more thing: Commander." The Captain chimed back in. "Once the beacon is secured. You'll be accompanying Nilhus and assist him on enemy engagements."

Alenko and Jenkins turned to the Commander a little aback that he will be staying behind.

Regardless, Shepard responded with a clear, "Aye, aye, Captain."

 _"Approaching drop point one. This is your stop, Nihlus."_ Joker announced.

The edge of the cargo hold started to fold down into a ramp letting loud screaming of the Normandy's engines and wind seep into the interior of the ship.

"I'll fill you both in on updates." The spectre said, before turning to Shepard. "Time to see what you can offer the Council, Commander."

Nihlus rested his three fingered hand on Shepard's shoulder before dashing forward and gracefully leaping from the ramp.

"Damn..." Jenkins gasped. "That's badass."

Shepard's eyes shot up a little within his helmet. He knew right away that he was going to be working with someone who was beyond a professional.

"I want comm chatter kept to a minimum." Anderson's voice was clear through all the chaotic noise.

"Ready and able, sir!" Was Shepard's answer.

 _"We're approaching drop point two! Watch your asses out there, gentlemen!"_

Anderson nodded his head, following the helmsman concern. "The mission's yours now, Shepard! Good luck!"

Immediately Commander Shepard's left hand was raised and he made a crisp gesture to move out.

Anderson watched his men fall from the ramp before the ramp was hurled back up with a with a loud click and hiss. The cargo hold was dreadfully quiet now.

 ***MESC***

The landing would have been a disaster given that the three men jumped without getting a quick gander of the land. However, Alliance marines are thoroughly trained to make sure they execute a perfect landing.

The milisecond their feet made contact with the ground, their legs bend to support their bodies to perform a flawless role.

Alenko and Jenkins were on higher ground. They can see a good amount of the land. Shepard landed on the rough path below his men. He looks up at the sky to see it was engulfed in dark smokey clouds. A brutal side effect from the invaders attack.

Shepard twisted his body towards Alenko giving him the hand signal to scan anything of importance. At the same time, Jenkins quickly joined the Commander.

Alenko's eyes scanned their chosen path, but he found nothing worth noting. It's not good news, but at least it wasn't bad news.

After Shepard caught the Lieutenant's non-verbal response, he tapped Jenkin's helmet signaling him to take point.

Alenko quickly caught up with the rest of the squad. "I caught a glance of Constant. Pot shots and crossfires coming from the towers. All towards the ground."

"That means the marines are still holding!" Jenkins declared with pride along with assurances that there was still hope for Eden Prime's capital.

"Stay focused." Shepard reminded.

Shepard's HUD opened up to see Nihlus quickly moving with his rifle raised.

 _"Burned out buildings, potential excavation camp. No sign on survivors or hostiles. Out."_

Nihlus's vague messages may be of use, but right now they're not much.

"Everyone get that?" Shepard asked his squad.

Alenko nodded and Jenkins responded with a thumbs up.

"Remember our orders: Comm chatter kept at a minimum unless we got something worth reporting."

Again, Shepard got silent acknowledgement.

The marines made great progress navigating the rugged swampy path, all while checking their surroundings far and close. Every move was quick, fluid, and well executed by the hand gestures of the Commander's hand.

On Shepard's order, Jenkins scuttled onward with his rifle sweeping in a smooth obtuse angle until huddling behind a boulder facing a steep outcropping.

"Oh shit!" The Lieutenant's startled cry put the two marines on high alert. "Holy mother-"

Shepard rushed over to Alenko who was rapidly backing away from what was hiding behind a huge bolder.

Shepard soon saw what frightened Alenko. He pivoted a step back with his rifle raised at what looked like a floating mutated flesh balloon with slimy legs.

"The hell is that thing?!" Alenko brought out his pistol.

"Woahwoahwoahwoahwoah- Don't- lower! Lower the gun, LT!" Jenkins rushed to Alenko pushing his pistol to the ground. "It's a Gas Bag. Totally harmless."

Alenko hyperventilated loudly before he got to his feet. "Man... a fine example of looks being deceiving."

Jenkins smirked. "Still... one shot and you'll be bathing in burning toxic. Umm... don't ask why I know."

The Commander turned to Jenkins and growled, "You breaking formation like that? It's pretty goddamn stupid and dangerous." Shepard tapped Jenkins on the shoulder, praising him. "I'll let that slide since you saved a life."

"Thank you, sir." Jenkins gratefully replied.

He turned to Alenko. "Listen to the expert, Lieutenant."

Alenko shook his head somewhat embarrassed picking up his Lancer. "Aye, aye, Commander."

Moving past the Gas Bag, Shepard and his team stopped right in front of the outcropping. It was the only way to get to the dig site.

"Time for a climbing solution." Shepard said. "Alenko, take point. We'll provide cover."

"Aye, aye." Alenko replied collapsing his weapon on his back.

Shepard signaled Jenkins to get back behind cover and elevate his rifle on the edge while he brought out the standard issued Avenger sniper rifle and brought it the a small tree line.

Alenko sprinted straight towards the outcropping before executing a powerful leap with the support of burst of dark energy outlining his body. He repeated the move two more times before quickly reaching the top of the edge and quickly unleashing his rifle. Alenko darted it in all directions before seeing it was all clear.

The Lieutenant peeped over the edge looking down at Shepard and Jenkins giving them a thumbs up letting them know it was safe.

"Huddle up!" Alenko called. "I'll provide a climbing solution!"

Shepard nodded and motioned Jenkins to tighten up by the rugged wall of rocks. No time was wasted and Shepard can feel the fluid flow of Alenko's biotics pulling them into the air.

"Never get's old!" Jenkins happily exclaimed.

Shepard smirked from beneath his helmet but said nothing.

When both marines are brought safely over the edge, Alenko released them from his biotic grip and they fell from a short safe distance.

Shepard signaled his hand ordering his men to take an offensive formation. "Keep it loose."

"Aye, aye, sir."

"Copy."

The marines pressed onward through more smooth terrain with a few trees untouched trees towering over them. They soon came across a few dead corpses scattered out. They were in sterile white Hahne-Kedar combat suits with dark blue polarized 'fish bowl' helmets with they aquatic colored symbol planted on the shoulders.

"Marine casualties." Shepard curtly announced to his men and over comms. "Counting four KIA." He carefully removed the marine's helmet seeing a young tan face with emerald eyes wide and a wide gape mouth.

He was a young man, couldn't be no more than nineteen. Shepard examined the blast marks on his upper chest. The marine only took two shots and nothing more. Something more than powerful enough to rip through state of the art armor with kinetic barriers is a grave matter of concern. The Commander then brought his hand over the marine's eyes, closing them, and activated his omni-tool to uncover his ID.

 ** _PFC R. Wu_**

 **DOB: 3/24/65**

 **Pontar Fields, Elysium**

 **55300-47922**

"I count three on this one." Jenkins gloomily informed.

Shepard glanced back at his men who are scanning the remaining bodies. Alenko looked at him and shook his head sullenly.

"Be advised: enemy projectiles directly pierce through shields. Engage with caution." Shepard warned Alenko, Jenkins, and Nihlus of the danger.

Shepard disconnected from comms and raised the hand signal to proceed onward.

Jenkins eagerly rushed past Shepard before crouching close to the thick bark of the tree.

"Commander." Alenko stopped right next to Shepard. "What about those kids back there?"

Shepard slightly bowed his head and turned to Alenko. "Have they been identified?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then we'll make sure they're given a proper service once the mission is complete. But I need you to stay focus"

Alenko hesitated before he rewarded Shepard with a smart, "Aye, aye, sir!"

"Unknown contacts!" Jenkins called back and quickly supplied his update with, "Possible friendly!"

Shepard and Alenko unfolded their weapons and rushed to Jenkins position to get a visual of what he was seeing.

 ***MESC***

She can hear the blaster fire and screaming of helpless victims being murdered by the handful of enemies approaching her position! Much of her Phoenix combat suit was seriously damaged, torn, and melted. There were burns and bruises marked across her exposed skin, and she can taste a large gush of her blood threatening to burst from her sealed lips. She bowed her head down to the side staining the grass with her nearly pitch black blood until she created a small black puddle.

Critically injured, unarmed, and outnumbered, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams was going to tear every last one of those synthetic fucks with her bare hands.

Her ears monitored each soft thud of their feet, and every clicking pattern, just waiting for her moment to strike.

With great effort, Williams battered legs pushed her up until she was on her feet using the boulder as support. She clearly remembered every single procedure to engage armed enemies in close quarters engagements. It was incredibly risky, but it was her only chance.

Williams' teeth painfully pressed together letting small streams of blood trickling down her chin. Her heart began to beat furiously gifting the marine with a powerful adrenaline rush.

She painfully glued herself up against the boulder as the first enemy moved past her completely unaware of her presence. It's purple armor plates, the dark grey muscles and tubes, and it's infuriating flashlight head. Every little detail on that machine pumped a blood raging haze within Williams. Another one barely popped ahead of her, and became brutally hooked around it's neck. The synthetic was powerless to resist the marine's savage surprise as it's head was crushed against the rock. It's partner quickly twirled around and fired several blasts at the marine, but Williams cleverly used her victim as a tin shield until a thick white gush splattered all over the brutal marine. With a loud roar, Williams hurled her victim at the armed synthetic, pinning it to the grass. She quickly fished up the enemy's rifle and quickly twisted her body to her side spraying two more enemies with their own medicine. Feeling her adrenaline flowing faster now, Williams furiously marched over to the remaining synthetic and with the butt of her rifle, savagely hammered it's flashlight eye from it's head.

With it dead, Williams heavily panted wiping the machine's white gush off of her skin. They were all dead. All but one. A remaining enemy aimed it's weapon right at Williams back planning to execute her. It's whirring clicking reached Williams ears, but oncoming projectile fire made her hit the ground with her hands pressed over the back of her head. She soon felt all the rage and desire to kill fizzle into a chilling horror of being powerless avoid death now. The firing stopped and loud thuds and distorted beeps are heard. Williams wondered if the leftover adrenaline was delaying her inevitable demise. That had to be the only logical solution. Her eyes remained shut, trying to make her peace with the physical plain before ascending to the astronomical dimension.

"We're clear!"

That voice. It sounded human.

Williams slowly opened her eyes and hesitantly brought her head up to see a sight worthy of a hail marry: Three special forces marines advancing to her position. The elation immesley grew seeing a heavily armored operative adorned with the legendary N7 code embedded on the upper right chest.

Williams's vision degraded to a blur and her ears manipulated a slow distorted. "Meeeediiiigeeelllllll."

Williams can see the N7 marine crouching down to her level and gently leaned her on her back while his hand resting on her shoulder. She couldn't see his face, and she couldn't understand what he was trying to say, but she didn't care. She never felt so happy seeing reinforcements. Hallucinations or no, it doesn't matter. If she going to die, that intimidating helmeted marine was her angel.

 ***MESC***

Shepard saw this woman is in the fight of her life. How she endured so many lethal projectile shots and still be alive in this state is nothing short of a miracle. However, this was not the time for theorizing how a person can survive such an ordeal. Right now, he was focused on making sure she stays alive.

Her dark brown eyes were struggling to remain open right now.

The medi-gel Shepard activated and carefully applied it to the marine's most critical wounds and witnessed the nasty gashes and wounds quickly evaporate away.

The results were a drastic improvement.

The woman arched her back as she gasped a large breath into her lungs before exhaling a softer release. She repeated the process in a calm paced rhythm as many times as she could before her eyes were dilated correctly and gave Shepard a tired yet present clear gaze.

"Thanks for the help, sir." The woman breathed before continuing. "Gun-Gunnery Chief Williams. 212th Infantry, 2nd Frontier Division. I take it you're in charge of this squad?"

Shepard curved a small grin seeing she's stable now. "Commander Shepard. SSV Normandy." He carefully helped Williams to her feet and motioned a hand at his men. "Lieutenant Alenko, and Corporal Jenkins." The Commander scans Williams again before asking, "How grave are your wounds?"

Williams grunted and winced a little. "Still some intense burning, but not feeling dizzy anymore... I'll be alright, Commander." She slowly crouched down to claim a random rifle. "You guys here for the beacon?"

Shepard nodded. "Is it safe?"

Williams's shoulders slouched. "I-I don't know, sir. When the enemy ambushed us, we doubled back to the dig site hoping we can give the science teams time to move that thing to safety. I don't know if it made it out but... oh man... I just- I just don't know right now, sir... I'm just hearing bells ringing all over."

Shepard remained silent while the Gunnery Chief was recovering as much as she can. He flashed a hand signal to hold position before turning back to Williams to ask her the most vital question, "Any idea what enemy we're up against?"

Williams straightened her back and nodded. "I think they're geth."

Geth. That one word caught Alenko's and Jenkin's attention.

"Wait... as in those robot thingies?" Jenkins foolishly guessed.

Alenko offered a more intelligent query. "The geth remained hidden behind the Veil for two-hundred years. So... if it is them, why would they be here now?"

Shepard mentally pondered the Lieutenant's question. According to the reports, the geth were not hostile but highly isolated synthetic race. To have the geth attack Eden Prime seems entirely out of character.

"They must have come for the beacon." Williams declared. She turned to Shepard. "Don't worry about me, sir. I'm banged up, but still in the fight. I'll take you guys over to the site. Maybe they'll be answers on this damn beacon."

Shepard nodded. "Take point with Jenkins, Chief. But no heroics, am I clear?"

"Aye, aye, Commander." Williams smartly replied.

"And Williams?"

"Sir?"

Shepard caught the Chief as she staggered back before speaking. "I should inform you that we have a turian spectre aiding us with the beacon's recovery. And don't know what you've been briefed on about your orders, but officially, this mission doesn't exist. No questions or gossip to anyone other than my squad or my CO. Am I clear?"

The second Williams heard turian spectre, her gut told her that something right wasn't right here. She just had a feeling that this spectre would screw them over, but the discipline instilled into her made her respond without hesitation. "Crystal, sir."

Shepard curtly announced on the comms, "One survivor. Friendly. Be advised: enemy confirmed as geth. I say again: geth are present planetside."

As Williams's mind became more clear, it became more easy to remember the commander of the squad.

 _Commander Shepard... As in... THE Shepard? The Hero of the Skyllian Blitz?_

Williams couldn't help but curve a smirk seeing what he would look like out of the armor and into those officer dress blues.

Shepard's team moved passed the bodies of charred and shredded human corpses, which are visibly affecting Williams and Jenkins.

Williams can feel a lump mutating in her throat and she can felt ready to retch out her own heart. Seeing the gruesome bloody bodies of her team hit her harder than any burning projectile ever will. She couldn't help but recite the names of Dog Squad in her mind. Her squad.

 _Bates, Donkey, Long, Aubert... Bhatia... Snap out of it, Williams! Get these guys to the damn camp come hell or high water!_

Williams started to hear shaky breaths coming from her port side. She quickly glanced over at Jenkins, and although the polarized visor masked his face, she could tell that he was struggling to not to break down.

The Chief is finding it hard to believe that a Spec Ops marine is being so emotionally tormented by the horrors that were inflicted by the geth but she kept her mouth shut and lead the squad onward.

Brushing through a small dirt road with wrecked research platforms and a few research vehicles, the squad froze and remained hidden to the handful of geth that were guarding the outside of a opened entrance of an unknown structure.

Shepard advanced towards Williams's position remaining undetected by enemy contact. "This is the dig site?"

Williams nodded. "That's where the beacon was. If we're lucky, it's still in there."

"And if it's not?" Jenkins chimed in.

"Then we pick up on it's trail." Shepard bluntly replied.

"They're hogged up tight. We can waste them now before they're drawn out." Williams suggested readying her scavenged rifle.

"Belay that move, Williams." Shepard overruled her.

Williams opened her mouth to protest, but her dry throat made her lose the will to state her objections. "What's your plan, sir?" She asked, her voice a little strained.

"Hold position." Shepard ordered.

The Commander turned to Alenko and gestured him to execute an unorthodox and efficient maneuver. The Lieutenant activated his omno-tool and slowly aimed it out at the enemy guards. A few seconds later, the geth started to burst and tear from all over, their mechanical bodies undergoing a violent spasm until they went limp and fell to the ground.

Williams's eyes widened, amazed of the mayhem that was unleashed on the enemy, she silently mouthed out. "Holy shit."

"Advance!" Shepard commanded taking point.

The squad pushed up to the entrance of the structure.

"Alenko and Jenkins, hold here." Shepard ordered. "Engage as a last resort.

"Aye, aye, Commander!" Alenko smartly responded then said to Jenkins. "Take your position starboard side."

A trembling Jenkins nodded and padded his feet over to the right side slumping his weapon.

"Alright. Williams, With me."

Shepard was the first to enter the black pits of ancient ruin.

 ***MESC***

Nihlus caught the Shepard's latest update not too long ago. The geth? Here beyond the Perseus Veil? This mission became more complicated than they anticipated. The turian spectre's visor allowed him to scan the camp from afar without risking walking into a trap.

The last time there was an engagement with the geth, their organic creators were slaughtered and the survivors were evicted from their native homeworld. And that was over two hundred years ago.

Nihlus was bound to go up against an enigmatic species, unfamiliar with their tactics and motives. But one thing was certain: the beacon was compromised and the geth may have already acquired it.

That is something that cannot be allowed to happen.

Nihlus thoroughly scanned the scorched remains of one of the research camps. He noticed that makeshift barricades and checkpoints have been established as some sort of buffer zone between the camp and outside. He hypothesized that security was expecting trouble, but nothing of an actual engagement. This must have been to counter protests groups that were outside the camp, before the geth attack. So naturally security never had a chance.

Seeing that there are no geth sighted outside campgrounds, Nihlus's enhanced visor zoom retracted back to a vision normal to the naked eye and nimbly pounced from outcropping. With a subtle landing, Nihlus cautiously approached the camp, darting his semi-automatic rifle from one direction to the next.

He made haste towards a sealed door of one of the buildings. The security lock was engaged, so whatever or whoever was behind that door, was poorly hidden. From Nihlus's experience, lock doors mean something or someone of worth is hiding.

Checking his surroundings one more time, Nihlus activated his omni-tool to manipulate the digital red lock until it changed to a flickering orange. A few seconds passed until the lock shifted to a full green, signaling the spectre that it was unlocked.

Nihlus readied his weapon, and bolted into a dim lit room where panicked high-pitched screaming is heard. Acting on instinct, Nihlus aimed his weapon at three suspects. All of them human. No hostiles detected.

Nihlus counted three humans. Two wore stained lab coats, while the other was equipped with battered standard issued armor issued by the Human Alliance. He wore no helmet, so Nihlus could see some parts of his face, but lack of proper lighting did not help matters. The marine was laying on a simple rugged cot and was covered in small ashy marks and scratches all over his armor.

"Don't shoot!" One of the scientists, a female, pleaded. "Just please- please don't kill us." She began sobbing and hyperventilating.

Seeing the scientists docile frightened expressions, and an unconscious marine, Nihlus lowered his guard and shut the door behind him.

"Lower your voices." He ordered calmly, yet sternly. "I'm no danger to you."

The woman whimpered and nodded her head. "I-I'm Dr. Warren, head of the team that uncovered the Prothean Beacon." She stammered and motioned toward her dazed colleague. "This is Doctor Manuel. We've been hiding here since the attack. Whoever they were, they must have come to the beacon."

Nihlus's tangibles flinched. "Do they have the beacon?"

Warren shook her head, much to the spectre's relief. "No. Luckily the marines held off the attackers long enough to move it to Pacem Spaceport waiting to be shipped offworld."

"Offworld?!" Nihlus repeated hotly. "Where to?"

"To Earth!" Warren blurted out. "He told us that he was under orders from the Alliance to escort the beacon safely back to Earth!"

 _The Alliance bringing the beacon to Earth? That's not right. Either the Alliance is hiding something, or a third party is involved._

"Who was he?" The turian demanded. "A soldier? Scientist?"

"It matters not who he is!" Dr. Manuel finally spoke in a squeaky raspy voice. "The darkness of eternity will blacken out the sun! Monsters will descend upon civilization!"

"Please forgive my colleague!" Warren quickly butted in. "Manuel is a brilliant scientist... albeit somewha-"

"Irrelevant." Nihlus abruptly cut her off. "Do you know who any details of the person extracting the beacon."

"He's human." Warren replied. "He didn't tell us his name, and spoke in rather... vague comments. But... I believe I caught his rank was a Lieutenant, and I could tell by the men they were confused with their orders."

"In what way?"

"We've been told by the Alliance to keep the beacon here planet side. But... when the Lieutenant began to move it to the spaceport, we didn't receive any word from Alliance command." She took in a breath to calm her nerves. "We were told that communications were damaged and we were in the dark, but that's not true! The latest update showed reinforcements were on the way, but nothing about moving the beacon!"

Gasping and coughing came from the wounded marine and Doctor Warren rushed to his side. "Mr. Taylor? Service Chief Taylor, are you alright?"

A long wheeze was the doctor's response and he started to shake uncontrollably.

"It's alright, Jacob." The doctor soothed the marine as best as she could. "We've got plenty of medi-gel."

"What's wrong with him?" Nihlus asked approaching the wounded man's side.

"Plasma burns along with a punctured lung." Warren replied slowly hovering her omni-tool over his armored body. "The medi-gel helps him, but it won't heal the wounds properly."

Taylor started muttering in his sleep. "No... some turian... tubes... I'm pinned..."

That caught Nihlus's attention, along with Warren's. The doctor then sheepishly glanced back at the spectre and quivered. "Did you...?"

"No." Nihlus bluntly answered before relunctantely revealing his role. "I'm a Spectre, and all you need to know is that the Alliance and I are to extract it to Citadel Space. Not Earth."

Warren sighed and shook her head. "Then you need to get to the spaceport, now!"

"Space!" Manuel rasped. "It's majestic beauty is only matched by it's unholy dark secret! The beast within will swallow us all!"

"Manuel, hush!" Warren snapped before turning to Nihlus. "Please... just go. I-I need to give him medication to calm his nerves."

Nihlus gave the doctor a glare that sent chills down her spine. She felt as if she carelessly provoked him and now she was going to suffer for it. Instead, he said, "I was never here."

The door opened and the turian exited the shelter. Nihlus could see the look in her eyes. She thought that he was going to kill them all. He thought about it, but knew that it would complicate diplomatic matters, and things are bad enough with this other turian on Eden Prime.

He activated his comms to update Shepard and Anderson.

 _"Beacon last seen at Pacem Spaceport. Currently En route. Meet me there."_

 ***MESC***

Alenko heard Nihlus's update clearly through the comms. It wouldn't be long until Shepard came bolting out of those ruins and onto the spaceport.

And if anyone would know the quickest route to the Beacon. It's bound to be the marine on his port side.

"Jenkins." Alenko started. "You know the fastest route to reach-"

He was cut off by heavy breathing coming from the Corporal's direction. He shot a worried look over at the marine and saw that his stance was gradually slouching along with his breathing getting louder.

"Jenkins?" Alenko called out to him but did not receive a response.

Jenkins slowly faced Alenko and let out a loud gasp before his buckling knees made him fall on his rear, wheezing profusely.

Alenko remained calm and rushed to Jenkins's aid. "Sit up! Deep breaths!"

"Oh my god! I can't take it!" He screeched with his arms keeping him from falling from the floor. "Oh god... oh Jesus..." He just repeated 'Oh Jesus' until he started babbling nonsense.

"Jenkins!" Alenko grabbed a hold of his arms to make him face each other. "Look at me! You're going through a little shock right now!"

As Alenko cared for a delicate Jenkins, he heard raspy moaning that did not sound human. He quickly shot a glance outside their perimeter and saw figures that looked like they were something out of a nightmare.

They looked human, but they're shown to be rather ghoulish in nature. They are shown to have a pale grey complexion with no trace of hair or any major exterior organs apart from the mouth, eyes, arms and legs. Their rib cages were visible along with a series of tubes that spiraled all over the body.

Alarmed, Alenko cursed underneath his breath and buried his whole body behind cover while covering Jenkins to the ground. "Don't. Make. A. Sound." He then alerted over the comms, "Four unknown contacts. Unarmed and potentially hostile."

Wanting to get a gander, Alenko crept his head out from cover to see that there were four in total and were trudging and shuffling past their position, like reanimated undead corpses from those horror vids.

Seeing the danger passing by, Alenko let out a deep breath of relief. His breathing shook when he heard echoing projectile fire coming from the ruins along with raspy groaning. Alenko clenched his teeth and looked back out at the four ghoulish figures to see that their soulless glowing stare was fixated on their position.

 _"Unknown hostiles!"_ It was Williams's voice. There was a cry of struggle before continuing. _"Unarmed and damn aggressive! Argh! Off of me you ugly chickenshit!"_

"Oh, shit!" He hissed and emerged from his cover channeling his biotics. "Position is compromised! Engaging!" Alenko barked over the comms.

The human like creatures were darting at him with big long struts. Feeling outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Alenko hastily summoned enough power to violently bounce back one of his oncoming attackers. It was a costly move. A great deal of energy was spent and strained the Lieutenant's body and head.

Alenko staggered and cried out in pain from that sharp zap in his head, but remained standing and pulled out his automatic rifle and started spraying the closest monster with it's microscopic and lethal round. Alenko was careless and allowed his primary weapon to overheat just when the second hostile was neutralized.

Panting vigorously, Alenko was about to bring out his pistol, but one of those things violently grabbed his shoulders and hurled him towards a rock. Alenko grunted in pain feeling the air being knocked from his lungs, but his reflexes were quick and his arms and legs caught his attacker. In a brief struggle, Alenko punched it's monstrous face, but it's grip remained tight. It let out a gasping roar and it's gaped mouth was creeping down towards the Lieutenant's neck. It didn't matter how much Alenko resisted or how many punches he threw. It was futile. He wasn't even strong enough to do another biotic attack. He was going to die a bloody death, and the thing was only inches away from his exposed neck.

Completely unaware and unoccupied, a loud compressed roar is heard and Alenko felt the sudden release from the thing's grip. Alenko shot up and saw Commander Shepard ramming the monster into one of the pillars and violently smashed it's head in until it brutally pulped like a balloon.

Williams came to Alenko's side and helped him back onto his feet. They both watched Shepard rip the last hostile off of a pinned Jenkins and with a savage shout, ripped the head off with a set of wires and parts of a spine attached to bottom. He tossed the head aside and pulled the enemy's mutated corpse off of his man.

All enemies terminated, but one man gravely wounded.

Shepard stared down at Jenkins's wounded body. His neck was spurting out blood along with a huge gory opening in his chest where the ribs and a few organs were exposed. Williams and Alenko watched in horror as the young marine was coughing out puddles of his own blood until he started choking on in.

Shepard slowly got on his knee and gently collected the young man's hand, grasping it tightly without saying a word. Jenkins's fluttering eyes were on the Commander before he softly gasped out as best as he could, "Tell my grandma... I'll be okay..." And then quietly expired with his face turning to the side.

Remaining silent, Shepard slowly brought his hand over Jenkins's eyes granting him peace and delved his hands into his neck to yank out his dog tags.

Alenko and Williams were frozen in shock. How Shepard kept his cool over a gruesome sight like the one they're witnessing right now is amazing in it's own way.

Shepard arose from his knee and activated the comms. Alenko knew what he was going to say, and he knew both of them didn't want to say it.

The Commander paused for a second before stoically announcing. "One KIA. Richard Jenkins."

 ***MESC***

 _"One KIA. Richard Jenkins."_

That's all Commander Shepard said. Those four words rang in Captain Anderson's head. He soon realized that every ounce of small talk in the CIC has ceased. There was silence for about thirty seconds and everybody apart of the Normandy crew knew that they have taken their first casualty. They have just lost their first crew member.

Anderson can see the distraught in some of the crew's faces. To them Jenkins was larger than life. Tough, cocky, restless, and eager for anything. Almost everything those UNAS Marines back on Earth are, just without being a cheap knockoff. Now he's dead. It's news that really sent a crisp chill down all their spines.

Anderson knew what needed to be done now "Get me a link with the commander of the Eden Prime Garrison." He ordered in a low calm tone. "And Joker?"

 _"Captain?"_ Joker replied in a rare serious manner.

"Prep the Normandy for a reentry into the atmosphere."

 _"Aye, aye, Captain."_

 _Any marines left out there are going to need a magic bullet to save the capital._

* * *

 _ **So a lot is going on right now. More than the original Mass Effect game. Originally Jenkins was not planning to live this long, but I figured he deserve more plot time.**_

 ** _And it's just Shepard, Ashley, and Kaidan. :(_**

 ** _I'm no expert when it comes to military jargon or the proper terms, so forgive me for any inaccuracies. And don't worry, everyone is not going to be known on a last name basis for the rest of the story._**

 ** _PS: Alliance Marine armor varies from game to game, so in this chapter, marine armor resembles Initiative Armor from Mass Effect Andromeda, but Shepard and Kaidan's armor mostly resemble Onyx armor, except Shepard's is a heavy armor variant._**

 ** _Codex_**

 ** _UNAS/United Northern American States: A unified nation consisting of the US, Canada, and Mexico, and owned by Bioware._**

 ** _PS: before anyone gets offended about UNAS marines being knockoffs, remember: These are Alliance Marines._**

 ** _Hope you guys enjoy and more on the way._**


End file.
